MOLECULAR LEVEL SCIENCE Omics Lab The Omics Lab for Health and Human Performance, located in the College of Arts and Sciences on the Daytona Beach Campus, allows students to take things to the extreme — for research. In biology, omics deals with locating, identifying, describing and quantifying the biomolecules and molecular processes that give cells and tissues their forms and functions. There are many branches of omics sciences, with some of the most well-established being genomics, epigenomics and metabolomics.
Within the Omics Lab, students and faculty perform research on life forms in extreme environments, which is directly tied to the effects of space and extraterrestrial environments on the human body. The lab is primarily used by students and faculty in the Aerospace Physiology program, which focuses directly on the effects of aerospace environments on human physiology. Student researchers have the opportunity to conduct analysis and research on various organisms within the lab. Past students have completed research on how simulated cosmic radiation affects the behavior and cognition of male and female mice, studied the effects of male-pattern baldness drugs on fruit flies, researched self-healing polymers for spaceship exteriors and attended NASCAR events to collect data on racecar drivers throughout adrenaline-pumping races. Students in the Omics Lab get vast exposure not only to human physiology but also to extreme environment research, which is core to aerospace research due to its relation to the effects life-forms experience in microgravity.
Q & A with Dr. Amber Paul, Director of the Omics Lab
What are some practical applications for Omics Lab research?
Aside from scientific research, the opportunities to learn important techniques and instrumentation capabilities are also practical applications in the lab. For example, one student is currently designing fluidics and optical settings that are involved with the flow cytometer instrument with a career goal of engineering a more user-friendly instrument. Similar directives for next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics learning are also possible.
Why does the Embry‑Riddle Omics Lab study life in space?
The extreme environment of aerospace can induce physiological stress in animals. My research interests include understanding how the physiological stress response influences the mammalian immune system, as there are some fascinating integrations between endocrine stress hormones and immune cells when exposed to chronic physiological stressors. Considering not only the type but also the timeframe (acute versus chronic) of physiological stress that influences immune dysregulation is a primary interest of mine.
11 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
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